Canadian students build local homes

Thursday

Feb 21, 2013 at 9:09 PM

Many college students use their spring break to party, not swing a hammer.But 18 students from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, are in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes this week doing just that.

Nikki BuskeyStaff Writer

Many college students use their spring break to party, not swing a hammer.But 18 students from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, are in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes this week doing just that.Bayou Area Habitat for Humanity is hosting the students as they spend their week off building and rehabilitating houses to help local families in need of affordable housing.“Some people might take off and take a trip to Cancun to have fun,” said Daniel Troster, 19. “But we're having more fun while helping people.”The students are participating in Habitat for Humanity's national alternative break program, Collegiate Challenge. The University of Guelph regularly sends students off on volunteer missions during their break, called Reading Week, as a part of a program called Project Serve Canada, said Brittany Smith, 21, a group leader.Students from the University of Guelph have been coming to Terrebonne and Lafourche for the last four years to help build homes, said Aimee B. McLafferty, volunteer coordinator with Bayou Area Habitat for Humanity.“This is a great way to involve students from all over the world in rebuilding efforts here in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes,” McLafferty said.More than 208,000 students have spent their spring breaks volunteering at Habitat construction sites around the country during the program's Collegiate Challenge program, donating more than $20 million in labor to Habitat programs.“We're grateful to Bayou Area Habitat for Humanity for hosting the students as part of Collegiate Challenge,” said Jenn Skudlarek, Habitat for Humanity International's manager of U.S. volunteer programs. “Their work together makes a meaningful difference and will have a lasting impact in communities across the country.”Bayou Area Habitat for Humanity has brought volunteers from all over the world to work on homes since hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. More than 200 volunteer groups have visited the area since then, building 103 homes for low-income families. They've visited from every state and province in the U.S. and Canada.Volunteers have built homes in Thibodaux, Gray, Houma and Galliano. Their next project is planned for north Thibodaux later this year.Another group of students will be visiting from the University of New Brunswick the first week of March to help work on homes as a part of Habitat for Humanity's Global Village program.Kirsten Paulter, 22, is on her second stint with Habitat. She travelled to Texas last year to work on a build, and it was such a great experience she decided to come back.“You get to experience a different culture and help a community,” she said.The group spent the early part of the week gutting houses and removing floors in homes in Habitat's Bon Jovi Boulevard subdivision in Gray, preparing them for a new deserving family.On Thursday, they worked to install a new roof on a home on St. Charles Street in Thibodaux.Smith said she decided to come down because it was her last year in school and she wanted to do something memorable.“It's a new experience,” said Reilly Fullerton, 21, another group leader. “We're building a house that someone's going to live in. It's a big responsibility.”They also managed to work in some fun and enjoy Louisiana's culture. The group visited New Orleans, took a ghost tour and ate po-boys. They also travelled to Grand Isle to hit the beach, despite the cool weather.Louisianans who ran into the group were a little shocked that they were down at the beach in shorts, Paulter said. But back in Guelph, the high was a brisk 25 degrees Thursday.While visiting volunteers have contributed a lot to Habitat, the affiliate still depends on local support for its mission.Volunteers can help to build homes or volunteer in Habitat's ReStore in Thibodaux, which raises money for homes.Bayou Area Habitat is also accepting donations from individuals and local businesses to help support local building efforts. For more information on donating or volunteering contact the Bayou Area Habitat for Humanity office at 985-447-6999.

Nikki Buskey can be reached at 857-2205 or nicole.buskey@houmatoday.com.

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